Systems and methods for reducing edge effects

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and programs for reducing edge effects, the systems, methods, and programs include inputting an image mask, the image mask defining the location of a boundary to receive a coating , modifying an edge of the image mask to reduced the thickness of the coating at the modified edge; creating a printing plate base on the modified image mask; and using the printing plate to print the coating on a substrate.

BACKGROUND

Related technical fields includes spot coating systems and methods.

Graphic professionals generally use spot varnishes or coatings toemphasize graphical elements in high-end collaterals. For example, acatalog might include pictures of a product on the page with a spotvarnished and/or coating applied only on the product pictures. Thisimparts a higher gloss just to the pictures that gives them added visualimpact on the viewer.

Further, by using a coating, for example, bindery (off-press) coatings,such as ultraviolet coating (UV coating) over an image and/or printedpiece, the UV coating can be used, for example, as a spot covering toaccent a particular image on the sheet or as an overall coating (floodcoating). The UV coating may protect the printed piece by providing, forexample, an additional covering which protects the ink from scuffing. Inaddition, the UV coating may, for example, draw the reader's eyes toparticular items and to add depth and interest to the printed piece orimage.

In traditional lithographic offset printing, spot coatings are oftenapplied in a separate unit on the press. For example, cyan, magenta,yellow and black might be printed with the first four units of thepress. A spot coating, for example, might be applied with the fifthunit, with a printing plate, for example, which allows the coating to beapplied in the same manner as one of the color inks.

SUMMARY

Coating systems, such as coating systems based on flexographic printingtechnology, have been adapted for direct digital printing systems. Thisintegration provides unique and new opportunities for providing spotcoating, such as varnish and/or UV coatings, together with all the otherbenefits of digital printing. For example, flexographic coating systemsuse a conformable, elastomeric relief plate technology to transfer thecoated image.

Also, spot coatings, for example, spot varnish and/or UV coating, areused as part of a graphic arts treatment that can impart a desirableimage-wise gloss treatment to a particular part of a page or the entirepage. For example, a flexographic coating system may utilize an in-linespot UV coater as part of its system to apply, for example, a spotcoating such as a UV coating as part of the graphical arts treatment.

Typically, boundary regions between conventionally coated and uncoatedareas are crisp, sharp edges. This transition is the most sensitive tothe undesirable characteristics of spatial variability and a ridge-likeeffect of higher coating thickness at the border. This effect is morepronounced at edge vertices. The edges may occur, for example, fromapplying a clear coating, for example, a spot coating, such as a varnishand/or an Ultraviolet coating (UV coating). The boundaries between thecoated and uncoated areas may cause discontinuity between the coated anduncoated boundaries at or around the edge appearances, which maydiminish the visual impact of the spot coating of the image or printedsurface. As a result, the value provided by the spot coating may bereduced or destroyed.

Various implementations of the principles described herein include amethod for reducing edge effects, the method including inputting animage mask, the image mask defining the location of a boundary toreceive a coating; modifying an edge of the image mask to reduce thethickness of the coating at the modified edge; creating a printing platebased on the modified image mask; and utilizing the printing plate toprint the coating on a substrate.

Various implementations of the principles described herein include asystem for reducing edge effects. The system includes a controller thatinputs an image mask. The image mask defines the location of a boundaryto receive a coating. The controller modifies an edge of the image maskto reduce the thickness of the coating at the modified edge; creates aprinting plate base on the modified image mask; and uses the printingplate to print the coating on a substrate.

Various implementations of the principles described herein include astorage medium for storing a set of program instructions executable on adata processing device and usable for reducing edge effects, theinstructions including instructions for inputting an image mask, theimage mask defining the location of a boundary to receive a coating;instructions for modifying an edge of the image mask to reduce thethickness of the coating at the modified edge; instructions for creatinga printing plate base on the modified image mask; and instructions forusing the printing plate to print the coating on a substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary implementations will now be described with references to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for minimizingthe perception of spot coating edge effects; and

FIGS. 2A-2B show a plan view and spatial profile of an unmodified spotcoating;

FIGS. 3A-3B show a plan view and spatial profile of an exemplarymodified spot coating; and

FIG. 4 shows a functional block diagram of an exemplary system forproducing less perceptible of spot coating edge effects.

IMPLEMENTATIONS

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary method for minimizing the perception of clearcoating systems, such as spot coating systems. The method may be used,for example, with binary (off-press) coatings, for example, binarycoatings that utilize spot varnishes and/or UV coatings as part of thegraphic arts treatment for imparting a desirable image wise glosstreatment to an image or printed piece or a portion of the image orprinted piece. The exemplary method may also be used with, for example,printing press, such as a digital printing press that utilizes aflexographic printing process. However, it should be appreciated thatthe method may be used with any system or device capable of producing aspot coating. Accordingly, the exemplary method need not be limited byany exemplary structure described below.

According to this example, the term spot coating is intended toencompass all clear coating systems and processes including UV coatings,and/or varnish coatings, and/or any other coating process type that mayresult.

The exemplary method begins in step 100 and continues to step 110. Instep 110, a binary image mask is created. For example, a graphic designis created that defines the boundaries of areas to receive spotcoatings. The binary image mask may be a binary pattern that determinesportions of a substrate, for example, paper, that will be overprintedwith a clear coating and that portion which will remain untreated, forexample, the uncoated boundary, which does not receive the spot coatingprocess. The binary image mask may be created by, for example, usingsoftware application. Operation continues to step 120.

In step 120, one or more boundaries of the coated and uncoated regionsmay be transformed from binary edges to gradient sweeps. For example,gradient sweeps may be added to the coating boundaries to reduce theedge vertices, for example, the sharp edges that occur between thecoated and uncoated boundaries during the spot coating process.Alternatively, a continuous slope may be added to the coating boundariesto reduce the edge vertices.

During step 120, the binary image may be converted to be a continuoustone 122, blurred 124, and/or halftoned 126, to create a gradient sweepat the boundaries between the coated and uncoated areas. The gradientsweep could be applied during a halftone screen process so that thereis, for example, a gradual tapering, feathering, reducing, sloping, ortailing-off of the amount of material that is applied or laid downthrough the process of half-toning. The half-toning process may beapplied to the clear coating as part of the process of applying spotcoatings. After the gradient sweep is added to the coating boundaries,operation continues to step 140.

In step 140, the converted binary image mask may be used to create aprinting plate, for example, a photopolymer plate, may result such as aflexographic plate. The creation of the photopolymer plate, for example,results in a flexible plate which holds spot coatings in the desired ordesignated areas, while repelling the spot coatings in other areas, forexample, repelling the spot coatings in the undesired or undesignatedareas.

The printing plate may be made, for example, by laser engraving, such asdirect digital plate making. In direct digital plate making, an image isscanned or computer generated. Then a computer guided laser etches theimage onto the printing plate. During this process, for example, thecoated/uncoated boundaries that are transformed from binary edges togradient sweeps during the process 120, may be employed during thedirect digital plate making process to reduce and/or gradually sweep theboundaries areas between the coated/uncoated areas. After the printingplate is created, operation continues to step 160.

In step 160, the coating is printed. For example, flexographic printingof the spot coating may be performed. The printing plate, for example,the flexographic plate, may be used via one or more conventionalprocesses to print the coatings on a substrate, for example, paper. Forexampled, after printing an image to be spot coated, the substrate mayrun through a number of operations to be finished, the substrate may berun through a spot coating process to apply a spot coating to thedesired or designated areas of the substrate. After applying the spotcoating, operation continues to step 180, where the exemplary methodends.

A comparison between unmodified spot coatings verses modified spotcoatings are shown in FIGS. 2A-2B and FIGS, 3A-3B, respectively. FIGS.2A-2B show unmodified spot coatings profiles without implementing thetechniques of the exemplary method of FIG. 1. FIGS. 3A-3B show examplesof coating profiles using the techniques of the exemplary method of FIG.1 for applying the gradient sweep to minimize perception of spot coatingedge effects.

FIG. 2A shows a plan view of a substrate 200, for example, paper, thatincludes unmodified coated area 202 and uncoated area 204. As shown inFIG. 2A, the aerial image profile 200 shows an abrupt boundary betweenthe coated area 202 and the uncoated area 204. The coated area 202includes a coating thickness that is thicker than the uncoated area 204,which is uncoated. Accordingly, the uncoated area 204 of the substrateis not as thick as the coated area 202.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the coating thickness versus theposition of the coated boundary and uncoated boundary forms, forexample, a sharp edge 206. At the edge 206 there is discontinuitybetween the coating boundary, i.e., unmodified coated area 202, and theuncoated boundary, i.e., uncoated area 204, which forms a ridge, forexample. The edge 206 is formed, for example, where the transitionbetween the coated and uncoated areas 202, 204 occurs. Because thecoated area 202 is thicker than the uncoated area 204, a ridge formsalong the edge 206 vertices.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the edge 206 of the coated area may diminish thevalue that is added by the spot coating due to the discontinuity that iscreated from the build-up of material, that is, the extra coating atthat boundary.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show exemplary modified spot coating profiles. As shownin FIGS. 3A and 3B, the modified spot coating reduces the sharp, edge,and/or thickness that occurs in the boundary area between the coated anduncoated areas. By applying, for example, gradient sweep, the edgeappearance may be feathered-out, that is, the thickness between theuncoated and coated areas gradually slopes from a thickness of thecoating to substantially zero over the length of the garment (e.g.,positions 1 to 6). Thus, the harshness of the edge boundary may bereduced and the transitional boundary between the coated area and theuncoated area may not distract from the visual intent of an image and/ortext being accented by the spot coating.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the gradient sweep added to the coatingboundaries reduces the sharp edge between the coated and uncoated areas.For example, during the printing process, in which a halftone screen isapplied, the thickness between the coating and uncoated boundaries isgradually reduced. The half-toning process may be used, for example,over a millimeter or two to gradually reduce, feather, or tail-off theamounts of material that is laid down through the process of half-toningduring the spot coating process

In FIGS. 3A and 3B, an exemplary six-step gradient sweep is illustrated.For example, FIG. 3A shows the material thickness of the coating at theedge vertices being reduced over a six-step process 300, i.e., fromsteps 302-312. FIGS. 3A and 3B show a six-step process for simplicity,but any number of levels may be utilized or a continuous slope may beapplied. For example, during a flexographic process in which a digitalprinting process is utilized, the spot coating may be applied overseveral different millimeters. That is, for example, starting at onemillimeter and gradually reducing the amounts of material being appliedduring the clear coating process. Thus, any number steps of any distanceand/or over any distance can be applied during the half-toning processto reduce the thickness versus the position of the edge of the spotcoatings.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the coated and uncoated boundaries are transformedfrom binary edges to gradient sweeps, which gradually reduce thethickness of the UV coating material being applied so that the edgethickness is gradually reduced over positions 1 to 6. Although,according to the example the coating is reduced in a step-wise fashion,a continuum line is drawn from coating thickness 100 to position 6 forsimplicity.

The exemplary method as described provides a method for minimizing theharshness of the edge transition by replacing the sharp transition witha gradual gradient sweep. The transition between the uncoated and coatedareas are smoothed out to reduce the harshness between the uncoated andcoated areas utilizing the exemplary methods, which extended thetransition from, for example, about 100% to about 0% coating over ashort distance on a, for example, a raised image (relief), flexographictransfer plate. Thus, the exemplary method provides a gradual gradientsweep and/or continuous slop between coated and uncoated boundaries anddoes not, for example, distract the readers eye from the particularitems being emphasized by the spot coating, such as clear coatings, UVcoatings or vanish coatings, that is, the portions of the image orprinted piece that is being accent by the spot coating for visualenhancement.

FIG. 4 shows a functional block diagram of an exemplary system 400 forminimizing perception of spot coating edge effects. The system 400 maybe used, for example, to implement one or more of the above-describedexemplary methods. As shown in FIG. 4, the system 400 may be physically,functionally, and/or conceptually divided into an input/output interface410, a controller 420, a memory 430, a mask modifying circuit, routine,or application 450, and/or a plate creating circuit, routine, orapplication 460, each appropriately interconnected by one or moredata/control busses and/or application programming interfaces 470, orthe like.

The input/output interface 410 may be connected to one or more datasources 610 over one or more links 620. The data source(s) 610 can be alocally or remotely located device that stores and/or transmitselectronic data, such as a client or a server of a wired or wirelessnetwork, such as, for example, an intranet, an extranet, a local areanetwork, a wide area network, a storage area network, the Internet(especially the World Wide Web), and the like. In general, the datasource 610 can be any known or later-developed source that is capable ofproviding data, such as, for example, input mask data and/or plate datato the input/output interface 410.

The input/output interface 410 may be connected to one or more datasinks 510 over one or more links 520. The data sink(s) 510 can be alocally or remotely located printing system, for example, flexographicprinting, gravure printing, offset lithography process, web offsetprocess, sheet lithographic press, web offset press, digital process,static plate, digital plate, flexographic plate, a digital printingpress, a digital color printing press, and other printing presses, whichcan employ spot coatings, or any other a device that stores and/ortransmits electronic data, such as a client or a server of a wired orwireless network, such as, for example, an intranet, an extranet, alocal area network, a wide area network, a storage area network, theInternet (especially the World Wide Web), and the like. In general, thedata sink 510 can be any known or later-developed source that is capableof utilizing spot coating data, such as, for example, mask data and/orplate data provided by the input/output interface 410.

Each of the various links 520 and 620 may be any known orlater-developed device or system for connecting the data source(s) 610and/or the data sink(s) 510, respectively, to the input/output interface410. In particular, the links 520 and 620 my each be implemented as oneor more of, for example, a direct cable connection, a connection over awide area network, a local area network or a storage area network, aconnection over an intranet, a connection over an extranet, a connectionover the Internet, a connection over any other distributed processingnetwork or system, and/or an infrared, radio-frequency or other wirelessconnection.

As shown in FIG. 4, the memory 430 may be physically, functionally,and/or conceptually divided into a number of different memory portions,including a input mask data portion 432 and/or a plate data portion 434.The input mask data portion 432 may store the binary image mask such as,for example, the different coating boundaries and uncoating boundarieswithin the image. The plate data portion 434 may store a binary patternto determine portions of a substrate that will be printed.

The memory 430 may be implemented using any appropriate combination ofalterable or non-alterable memory, volatile or non-volatile memory, orfixed memory. The alterable memory, whether volatile or non-volatile,can be implemented using any one or more of static or dynamic RAM, afloppy disk and disk drive, a writeable or re-writeable optical disk anddisk drive, a hard drive, flash memory or the like. Similarly, thenon-alterable or fixed memory can be implemented using any one or moreof ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, an optical ROM disk, such as CD-ROM orDVD-ROM disk, and disk drive or the like.

Alternatively, a mask creating circuit, routine, or application 440 maybe provided to create data related to image data, such as, for example,binary image, for example, binary image masks and/or maps, and determinethe binary pattern portions that will be receive and/or be overprintedwith a clear coating, for example, a spot coating, such as UV coatingand/or a varnish coating.

For example, in operation, an input mask data related to an image may beinput from the data source to the input/output interface 410. Undercontrol of the controller 420, the data, such as, for example, inputmask data and/or plate data, may be stored in the input mask portion 432and plate portion 434 of the memory 430, respectively. Alternatively,the mask data and/or plate data may be input, under control of thecontroller 420, directly to the mask modifying circuit, routine, orapplication 450.

Under control of the controller 420, the mask modifying circuit,routine, or application 450 may access the mask data and/or plate dataand may modify one or more edges of the mask data to reduce edgeeffects. For example, the mask modifying circuit, routine, orapplication 450 may add one or more gradient sweeps to the image binarymasks/maps data. Under control of the controller 420, the mask modifyingcircuit, routine, or application 450 may access and/or determine thecoated and uncoated boundaries either from the mask creating circuit,routine, or application 440, if provided, and/or the input image portion432 and plate portion 434 of the memory 430.

Under control of the controller 420, the plate creating circuit,routine, or application 460 may be utilized to create a printing plate.For example, under control of the controller 420, the plate creatingcircuit, routine, or application 460 may access the modified mask dataand may create a printing plate. The printing plate, for example, may beused to hold the desired coating areas, and to utilize the printingplate to print the spot coating on the substrate.

Under control of the controller 420, the created plate data may bestored in the plate data portion 434, or may be output to the data sink510 via the input/output interface 410. Accordingly, the plate data maybe utilized to apply a clear coating during a spot coating process. Thismay be done, for example, by the exemplary method shown in FIG. 1.

While various features have been described in conjunction with theexamples outlined above, various alternatives, modifications,variations, and/or improvements of those features and/or examples may bepossible. Accordingly, the examples, as set forth above, are intended tobe illustrative. Various changes may be made without departing from thebroad spirit and scope of the underlying principles.

While the exemplary system has been described as physically,functionally, and/or conceptually divided into a mask creating circuit,routine, or application 440, a gradient sweep adding circuit, routine,or application 450, and/or a plate creating circuit, routine, orapplication 460 to apply a coating having a gradient sweep at theboundaries between the coated and uncoated areas, it should beappreciated that one or more of the circuits, routines, or applicationsmay be included in and/or executed by the controller 420.

It should be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed and otherfeatures and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirablycombined into many other different systems or applications. Also,various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives,modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequentlymade by those skilled in the art, and are also intended to beencompassed by the following claims.

It should be appreciated that although the above examples refer todigital printing technologies and processes therein, traditionalprinting processes, may also utilize this technology of applying agradient sweep in order to reduce the coating thickness between thepositions of the coated and uncoated boundaries.

Accordingly, the exemplary techniques described herein, may be utilizedwith any application utilizing a spot coating. For example, a web offsetpress or sheet lithographic press that includes a coater in line thatutilizes the technology to apply a clear coat, spot coat, UV coatingsand/or varnish coatings may employ this technology described herein togradually produce a gradient sweep to the coating boundaries.

The exemplary methods and systems described herein may also be used withcurrent photographic engraving technology used to produce relief plates.For example, the method for applying gradient sweep in the flexographicprinting technology may employ halftone as part of the method and/orprocess of applying a gradient sweep to coating boundaries. By utilizingthe method and/or process of applying a gradient sweep or continuousslope to the coating boundaries of the clear coating, the crisp or sharpedges between the uncoated and coated areas can be modified to agradient sweep such that, for example, the binary image may be convertedto a continuous tone, blurred, and/or halftoned to create a gradient atthe boundaries. This method and/or process may be applied at the rasterimage processor prior to plate imaging, or, for example, upstream, suchas with a software plug in.

The exemplary methods and systems as described above may be, forexample, used in the application of any printing system that utilizesspot coatings. For example, a device that utilizes, for example, anend-spot UV coater may employ gradient sweep to coating boundariesand/or uncoated boundaries to transform from binary edges to gradientsweeps in order to minimize the harshness of the edge transition betweenthe coated and uncoated boundaries.

The above exemplary methods and systems could be applied, for example,at raster image processor prior to plate imaging, or, for example,upstream as a software plug in. The process may be implementedutilizing, for example, any printing system. The gradient sweep added tothe coating boundaries can be implemented using a digital printingpress, a digital color printing press utilizing an in-line UV coatingdevice to put down UV coatings on top of or over a substrate, forexample, a sheet of paper that includes an image and/or printed piece(such as text). The substrate may include images, text, and/or graphicalarts, that are printed for example in newspapers, magazines, comics,dictionaries, newspaper inserts, catalogs, packaging materials, andwrappers.

The exemplary methods and systems as described above may be utilizedwith any printing system, for example, flexographic printing, gravureprinting, offset lithography process, web offset process, sheetlithographic press, web offset press, digital process, static plate,digital plate, flexographic plate, and other printing plates, which canemploy spot coatings. Further, the exemplary methods and systems asdescribed above and below may be utilized with digital printing pressand digital processing, photographic processing, laser engravingprocess, and photographic engraving technologies. For example,photographic engraving technologies that utilize spot coatings as partof a process to produce the relief plates.

The exemplary methods and systems described above are beneficial toapply and/or modify the boundary regions in spot coatings to reducediscontinuity. By replacing the sharp edge with, for example, a gradientsweep and/or continuous slope, both perceived spatial variability andunwanted edge effects, can be minimized. Modifying and/or adding spotcoatings with a gradient sweep may offer an operator operating aprinting system, such as a flexographic printing system that includes,for example, an in-line spot UV coater, with more latitude in thesetting of impression cylinder back pressure of the coater to optimizeother aspects of coating quality.

The exemplary methods and systems described above may be employed by adevice, for example, an in-line spot coater, that is used in coatingsystems based on flexographic printing technology for direct digitalprinting systems. The exemplary method and system described above may beimplemented by a customer device, such as, for example, a printer, amulti-functional imaging device/system, flexographic coating system,digital printing system, and other printing systems that may use spotcoater of the process of creating a printed piece, such as, for example,an image and/or text. The various printing systems that can employ theexemplary methods and systems described above may be utilized inapplications such as, for example, digital printing, flexible packaging,tag and label, envelopes, carrier bags, folding cartons, preprint liner,beverage cartons, magazines, newspapers, flexible bags, wrappers, otherpackaging forms, wallpaper, engraving, and paper and plastic bags.

It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed and otherfeatures and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirablycombined into many other different systems or applications. Also,various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives,modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequentlymade by those skilled in the art which are also intended to beencompassed by the following claims.

1. A method for reducing edge effects, the method comprising: inputtinga binary image mask, the binary image mask defining the location of aboundary to receive a coating; modifying an edge of the binary imagemask to reduce a thickness of the coating at the modified edge; creatinga printing plate based on the modified image mask; and utilizing theprinting plate to print the coating on a substrate, wherein modifyingthe edge of the image mask includes applying a gradient sweep at aregion of the boundary to receive the coating, and applying the gradientsweep to the coating further includes converting the binary image maskto continuous tone, blurring, and then halftoning.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the coating is a spot coating.
 3. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein modifying the edge of the binaryimage mask includes converting the binary image mask to continuous tone,blurring, and then halftoning to reduce the thickness of the coatingbetween a coated boundary and uncoated boundary.
 4. The method accordingto claim 1, further comprising: utilizing the modified image mask tocreate a flexographic plate to hold the coating in desired areas, whilerepelling the coating in undesired areas; and utilizing the flexographicplate to print the coating on paper.
 5. The method according to claim 1,further comprising: utilizing a digital printing press to create thebinary image mask; creating a graphic design to define a plurality ofboundaries of areas to receive spot coating, the plurality of boundariesdefining a binary pattern to determine portions of the substrate thatwill be overprinted with a spot coating and portions of the substratethat will remain untreated; adding to coating boundaries the gradientsweep to transform the coated and uncoated boundaries from binary edgesto gradient sweeps, the binary image being converted to continuous tone,blurred, then halftoned to create the gradient at the boundaries;creating a flexographic plate utilizing the modified image mask, theflexographic plate being created from the digital printing press, thedigital printing press utilizing the modified image mask to determinethe boundaries of the flexographic plate for holding the spot coating inthe coated areas and to repel the spot coating in the uncoated areas;and utilizing the flexographic plate to print the spot coating on thesubstrate.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gradientsweep includes at least one gradient sweep, and the coating is a UVcoating.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gradient sweepis a continuous slope, and the coating is a spot coating.
 8. A systemfor reducing edge effects, comprising: a controller that: inputs animage mask, the image mask defining the location of a boundary toreceive a coating; modifies an edge of the image mask to reduce thethickness of the coating at the modified edge; creates a printing platebase on the modified image mask; and uses the printing plate to printthe coating on a substrate, wherein the controller applies a gradientsweep at a region of the boundary to receive the coating, and thecontroller creates a binary image mask from inputted image mask data,and converts a binary image mask to continuous tone, blurs and thenhalftones to create the gradient sweep at the coated and uncoatedboundaries.
 9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the gradientsweep includes at least one gradient sweep, and the coating is a spotcoating.
 10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the gradient sweepis a continuous slope.
 11. The system according to claim 8, wherein thecontroller uses the modified image mask to create a flexographic plateto hold the coating in desired areas, while repelling the coating inundesired areas; and uses the flexographic plate to print the coating onpaper.
 12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the controller usesa digital printing press to create the modified image mask; creates agraphic design to define a plurality of boundaries of areas to receivespot coating, the plurality of boundaries defining a binary pattern todetermine portions of the substrate that will be overprinted with thespot coating and portions of the substrate that will remain untreated;adds to coating boundaries the gradient sweep to transform the coatedand uncoated boundaries from binary edges to gradient sweep, the binaryimage being converted to continuous tone, blurred, then halftone tocreate the gradient at the boundaries; creates a flexographic plateusing the modified image mask, the flexographic plate being created fromthe digital printing press, the digital printing press uses the modifiedimage mask to determine the boundaries of the flexographic plate forholding the spot coating in the coated areas and to repel the spotcoating in the uncoated areas; and uses the flexographic plate to printthe spot coating on the substrate.
 13. A computer-readable storagemedium storing a set of program instructions executable on a dataprocessing device and usable for reducing edge effects, the instructionscomprising: instructions for inputting a binary image mask, the binaryimage mask defining the location of a boundary to receive a coating;instructions for modifying an edge of the binary image mask to reducethe thickness of the coating at the modified edge; instructions forcreating a printing plate base on the modified image mask; andinstructions for using the printing plate to print the coating on asubstrate, wherein the instructions for modifying the edge includeinstructions for converting the binary image mask to continuous tone,bluffing, and then halftoning to create a gradient sweep at a coated anduncoated boundaries.
 14. The program according to claim 13, wherein thegradient sweep is a continuous slope.
 15. The program according to claim13, further comprising instructions for: utilizing a digital printingpress to create the modified image mask; creating a graphic design todefine a plurality of boundaries of areas to receive spot coating, theplurality of boundaries defining a binary pattern to determine portionsof the substrate that will be overprinted with a spot coating andportions of the substrate that will remain untreated; adding to coatingboundaries the gradient sweep to transform the coated and uncoatedboundaries from binary edges to gradient sweeps, the binary image beingconverted to continuous tone, blurred, then halftone to create thegradient at the boundaries; creating a flexographic plate utilizing themodified mask, the flexographic plate being created from the digitalprinting press, the digital printing press utilizing the modified maskto determine the boundaries of the flexographic plate for holding thespot coating in the coated areas and to repel the spot coating in theuncoated areas; and utilizing the flexographic plate to print the spotcoating on the substrate.